Marisa Baena (born June 1, 1977 in Pereira,
Colombia) is a Colombian golfer who plays on the
U.S. based LPGA Tour.
Baena started playing golf at the age of six. She
attended the University of Arizona in the United
States and had an outstanding amateur career, the
highlights of which were claiming the individual
NCAA title in 1996 and finishing at runner up at the
U.S. Women's Amateur Championship in the same year.
She qualified for the LPGA Tour at her first attempt
and had her rookie season in 1999, but she has not
so far fully lived up to the promise of her amateur
days. Her best finish in a stroke play tournament on
the Tour is a tie for second place at the 2003 Jamie
Farr Kroger Classic. In July 2005 she was the
surprise winner of the first HSBC Women's World
Match Play Championship, beating South Korea's Meena
Lee by one hole in the final. She won $500,000, a
three-year exemption on the LPGA Tour, and a gold
horseshoe necklace.
She represented Team International in the inaugural
Lexus Cup competition in 2005. She and her sister
Christina represented Colombia in the 2006 Women's
World Cup of Golf.
